For many families, summer wouldn't be summer without a great family beach vacation. Travel industry statistics indicate that the majority of summer vacations will be to beach destinations, with many of them being close to home. With this in mind, our staff has traveled the United States doing research from Maine to Hawaii, talked with scores of family travel experts, readers and parent groups, surveyed kids and teens, visited a wide variety of beach towns, combed through scores of travel guides, and even reviewed the findings of "Dr. Beach" himself in order to develop our list of this year's favorite family U.S. beach destinations.

The Family Travel Network staff looked for places with great sandy beaches, beautiful vistas, kid-friendly accommodations and restaurants, and lots of opportunities for summertime fun. Our hard work and research paid off - we've found some really great beach spots for you and your family to enjoy. Many have come highly recommended from families just like yours. For each of these destinations, you'll find profiles of our favorite family-friendly resorts, as well as vacation home rental companies, chambers of commerce contacts, and other helpful information.

Take a look at our selections for 2010 and make your reservations soon. Also, when you have a moment, share with us some of the other great family-friendly beach destinations you've found. We want to know all about your family's favorite summer place in the sun.